Tofu: A culinary chameleon

Look at a tub of tofu in the supermarket and initially there's not much to get excited about. Its white colour and sponge-like shape and feel doesn't exactly dazzle.

If you let your culinary mind wander, though, and take that tofu out of the tub and combine it with a vibrant sauce, aromatic spice and colourful vegetable, that first impression can quickly change.

Tofu is like pasta. Unadorned, it’s about as plain a food as you’ll get. But if you dress it up, it can soak up a lot of flavour and be the backdrop for many tasty creations.

Tofu is made by soaking, cooking, grinding and pressing dried soybeans to extract a milky-looking liquid. That liquid is coagulated and turned into curds. Similar to cheesemaking, those curds are placed in moulds, pressed and shaped, and the resulting product is — you guessed it — tofu.

The more liquid that’s pressed out during processing, the firmer the tofu becomes. In stores, you see several styles of tofu that reflect that, such as soft, medium and firm. You will also see flavoured tofu and silken tofu, which is almost silky in texture and processed a little differently than pressed tofu.

What you’re preparing will determine what type of tofu to use. The more delicate the tofu, the more delicately you’ll want to handle it, if you want it to hold its shape.

For example, in today’s miso soup accented with salmon and green onion, the tofu is simply set in the soup bowls and the piping hot miso mixture poured over top. Because of that, I could use soft tofu in the soup. I like its melt-in-your-mouth texture and its ability to quickly soak up the soup’s flavours. Because I’m not stirring it in the pot, it will nicely hold its shape until devoured.

In my recipe for vegetarian pot-stickers, I chose medium-firm tofu. I wanted something I could crumble and create a filling that would yield tiny curds that held their shape and could be seen when you bite into the dumpling.

If you're only feeding one or two, a good thing about the pot-stickers is that, uncooked, they freeze well (see recipe). That enables you to enjoy some now and some a few weeks later, when you’ve built up another craving for pot-stickers.

For this yam, tofu and pea curry, I chose firm tofu. The tofu simmers several minutes in the curry sauce and I wanted it to hold its cubed shape during the process.

For the health-conscious, an incentive to get tofu out of its tub is that it is cholesterol-free, easy to digest, high in protein and a source of calcium.

Place the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Set a fine sieve over a second bowl. Crumble the tofu into very small pieces into sieve. Let any excess water drip out of the tofu a few minutes. Add the tofu to the ingredients in the medium bowl and mix to combine. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Set a dumpling wrapper on a work surface. Use the tip of your finger to lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with cold water. Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the centre of the wrapper. Fold the dumpling into a half-moon shape and tightly press the edges together to seal. If desired, crimp edges to make a decorative look. Set on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. When setting on the baking sheet, ensure pot-stickers do not touch or they'll stick together.

Place 1 Tbsp of oil in a large, heavy, non-stick or cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat. When hot, set in some pot-stickers. Cook, depending on size of pan, 12 to 18 at a time. Cook pot-stickers until golden brown on the bottom; do not turn. Pour in 3 to 4 Tbsp of water, being mindful of splatters from pan. Cover and cook 4 minutes, gently swirling the pan from time to time. Remove lid, continue cooking until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, and then the pot-stickers are ready. (Keep cooked pot-stickers warm in a 200 F oven until all are cooked, or enjoy them now while the second batch cooks.) Serve pot-stickers with rice vinegar, soy sauce and hot chili sauce and let diners flavour them, as desired, with these items.

Note: Round, Chinese-style dumpling wrappers are sold in the produce section of some supermarkets. You'll also find them in food stores in Chinatown.

Uncooked, these pot-stickers freeze well. After forming and setting on the baking sheet, freeze solid, and then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook from frozen. If thawed they’ll become too soft and difficult to cook. When cooking frozen pot-stickers, use medium heat and cook for a minute or two more; the cooler temperature and longer cooking time will allow them to properly thaw and cook through without overly darkening.

Miso Soup with Salmon, Green Onion and Tofu

Serve this Japanese-style soup for a palate-pleasing light lunch or dinner.

Combine the stock, garlic, ginger and soy sauce in a medium pot. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the miso until dissolved. Add the salmon, return to a simmer, and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through.

Divide the tofu and green onions among 4 heated bowls. Ladle in the miso soup and enjoy.

Note: Miso is sold in tubs in the refrigerated section of some supermarkets. You'll also find it at Japanese food stores.

Heat the oil in medium pot set over medium, to medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and curry paste and cook 1 minute. Pour in the coconut milk and stock/cornstarch mixture. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the lime juice, yam and tofu, return to a simmer, and simmer until yams are just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mix in the salt, peas and cilantro, mint or green onion, heat through a minute or so, and serve.

Note: The curry paste I used in this recipe was Patak's brand. It is sold at most supermarkets in the Asian foods aisle.

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